Brussels dining: La Taverne de Passage

We reached Brussels on a cold, windy and rainy Sunday morning after the transatlantic flight form the States. Mercifully, our hotel room was available and we rested, regrouped and ventured out into the grey morning in search of Culture. We tucked into the fine arts museum and enjoyed the Magritte exhibit and the other offerings of the museum. We walked the cobble stone streets of the old town, ventured briefly to the Grande Place thinly crowded with visitors mostly local and it was time to have our first Belgian meal.



Unfortunately, many restaurants are closed both Sundays and Mondays in Brussels. Fortunately, La Taverne de Passage was open all day, every day within walking distance from the Grande Place and our hotel. Located inside an old covered mall with a tall glass, vaulted ceiling lined with chocolateries, antique shops and cafes, it was a classic restaurant with white linen and men waitors, dark panelling and tiled floors. The wait staff were having their meal and despite the unfashionably early hour of 6pm there were a few other diners in the middle of their meal. We selected a waterzooi, typical Belgian fare " a creamy, comforting dish of chicken or fish in broth" (we had the chicken), and an order of veal kidneys cooked in beer. The chicken arrived in a large metal pot filled with broth; two pieces of chicken, leeks and potatoes, a "poulet avec ses legumes" of Lyons memory. It was nice and bland, good for chasing away a cold or soothing an upset stomach; certainly not worth carrying home for our future enjoyment. The kidneys were also nice, the sauce jestier and the texture chewy and very satisfying; no sides, no extras. We shared a small carafe of house wine, the most reasonable selection among an overpriced list of wines. Surprisingly, both in this and all other restaurants the beer choices were particulary slim; one light ale, one darker beer and one non-alcoholic beverage.



On the way home we walked along Rue des Bouchers a narrow street lined with restaurants serving prix-fixe dinners of moules / frites, sparsely populated with waiters standing at the door tryingto entice customers. We did not visit Chez Leon on this trip having earlier ascertatined that it is an over advertized, mediocre place serving mediocre food. We cruised along Rue Neuve, lined with the ubiquitous brand stores now selling in most malls anywhere, bustling with relatively young people, many scarved women and a Mc Donald's, the most crowded of all the establishments. At the hotel, across the Place Rogiers we retreated for our first night in Brussels tired and ready to call it a night.